Day 1: We arrived at the Chang Mai bus station around 9:00am after a 10 hour bus ride from Pattaya. Mike, our host for the month had been waiting to pick us up, and kindly loaded our overstuffed backpacks into the back of his pickup installed with benches and canopy type roof. He clearly has hosted racers before.
His wife, Margie was at the house waiting for us to arrive and cooked us breakfast. Not just any breakfast, but eggs, fruit, french toast and COFFEE. An American style breakfast in a house with air conditioning…all things that were foreign to us heading into month 8. After we ate Mike and Margie debriefed us on the vision of Remember Nhu, the ministry we are serving this month.
We were informed that Remember Nhu is a Christian Organization established to provide education, housing, vocational training and love for children in Hill Tribe Villages. This opportunity prevents parents from having to sell children into the sex slavery.
We were informed that the poorest Thai live in Hill Tribe Villages and sex brokers “scout” out kids who are easily purchasable depending on home situation. It is not uncommon for children to be sold for 1-2 weekends each month. Children will be gone for a few days and will return to their tribe. It is simply looked at as a business transaction providing families income to survive.
The information about buying and selling of children was not new to me, but raw none the less, and reminded me why I came on the race in the first place.
Day 2: We went to a hill tribe village today to see where some of students are from. We were taken to a “worship” center where the village has ceremonies a few times a year to worship the gods and spirits of the tribe. The leader and people of the village have no desire to be Christian, but love when racers come to visit. Since Remember Nhu was established, not one child has been sold into the sex industry. Praise Jesus.
We walked around and handed out suckers to children and bowed to adults, giving them the respectful, traditional Thai greeting “Saudi-Ka!” as we walked up dirt roads and around bamboo huts.
Brooke and I were able to buy baskets from a man who makes them to support this family. I have no idea how I will get it to the States, but I’m a sucker for local goods and fair trade products. Buying the basket straight from his home was a sweet moment for me. I will never forget the faces of his wife, children and mom inside the house, knowing they will be able to eat for a while.
Day 3: We met Tia a 4 year old who lives at one of the girls home. She has been here since a baby. Margie explained that P.Joy (the house mom) saw Tia’s mom trying to sell her as an infant at a local market. P. Joy appraoched the mom and informed her about Remember Nhu, convincing the woman to give Tia up instead of selling her.
I see Tia run around laughing with the other children as her short black hair swings and bounces around her face with every move. She lives with a spirit of enthusiasm and never seems to doubt herself. I couldn’t help but think about how different her life could have been if P.Joy hadn’t taken her in. I thank God for miracle stories where His children are rescued and loved the way they were created to be.
Day 4: We were dropped off around 8:00 am at Bud’s house, a spunky mid 70 year old man who lives on the property of “Remember Nhu” and oversees the construction and upkeep of the land. He debriefed us on what we were going to be doing this month and told fun stories of previous World Racers. We listened to music as we shoveled dry concrete for most the morning and stopped every hour or so to take ten minute breaks to please Bud who was concerned about the heat in which we were working in. I was happy to see my new team has hard work ethic. Around noon, Bud took us to lunch and introduced us to “Pako Pow” a common Thai dish that has been “really popular with previous racers.” Thanks Bud.
We rode in the bed of Bud’s truck back home where we had a few hours off. Many of us rested, taking the opportunity to soak up that foreign concept: air conditioning. We were picked up once again by our hosts, to have dinner at one of the boys houses. We played soccer for a bit with some of the teenage boys. They were extremely kind whenever they passed the ball to us. Between our Chacos and $2 flip flops, we were sliding all over the place, falling, and running with extreme caution on the rocky gravel road. Plus, Peachey is the only one who can really kick some butt. The rest of us just trash talk. After a few major falls, some blood, extreme laughter and a hit to each of our pride, we went in the house and ate Pad Thai together.
Day 5: It was our first day off, so we decided to hop on a Santeo and ride into Chang Mai. We wanted to check out the coffee shop/hostel Zion Cafe and Hostel where two of our teams are working and staying at this month. We walked around town a bit, before getting lost and finding help from a kind monk. There is something ironic about getting the wifi password to a temple from a monk. World Race moments in a nutshell.
Once we found directions, we hit up a 3D museum where we spent way too much time taking pictures. We hit up the night Bizarre- a tent market covering the main street for blocks on blocks. I met up with a friend from San Diego at a Starbucks providing ample opportunity to convince myself I was 100% in the States. Brooke and I ate Shwarma wraps for 50 Bot ($1.50) each from a street food vender before catching a Santeo back home.
Day 6: We slept in and relaxed a most of the day. It’s so unusual for racers to have wifi, air conditioning, and privacy at the same time, so we took the opportunity to call families and friends. We would walk by one another and meet extended family members, old roommates, or friends over different screens and get a snapshot of life for our team member back home.
Margie picked us up in the early afternoon to take us to an international church. It has been 7 full months since I was able to sing worship in english within a congregation and couldn’t believe how much I missed it. We visited the Sunday night market (SNM) afterwards which we learned is different than the night bizarre. The SNM is complete with live music from locals wanting tips, no personal bubble whats so ever, and a food market in the middle of a Buddhist temple square.
Day 7: After work, Margie picked us up and took us to a cultural dinner. We sat on pillows and ate dinner while watching traditional dancing.The female dancers were extremely impressive, changing a total of of 12 times during the performance. With the amount of detail and layering in those costumes, even Beyonce would be impressed. We had the opportunity to sit outside and continue watching cultural dances from different villages, one being the same village we visited day 2 of our stay here, which made the experience extra special. Thailand has such a beautiful heritage and is full of kind, friendly people. I know I am going to enjoy my month here and can’t wait to see what God does.
After thoughts: Thai people think coffee goes with everything. So far I have seen the following business signs:
Coffee and steak
Carwash and Coffee
Meow and Coffee (cat lounge cafe)
Cosmetics and Coffee
Coffee and Thai massage
These are my kind of people:)
Blessings,
Marsh
